Adaptive system with call center and trusted network

ABSTRACT

A response center or other entity maintains in electronic storage records of trust relationships between parties. In an example method of operating a call center, personal profiles of clients of a service of the call center are maintained. At least some of the profiles include contact information for entities in trusted networks of the respective clients. An inquiry can be received from an inquiring party, inquiring whether a particular entity is trusted by a particular client. An electronic message is automatically sent to the inquiring part indicating whether or not the particular entity is trusted. In some implementations, entities may be assigned levels of trustedness.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/617,564 filed Sep. 14, 2012, and titled “Adaptive Systemwith Call Center and Trusted Network”, the entire disclosure of which ishereby incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Some private organizations offer telephone-based assistance services.For example, a client of such a service may call a private responsecenter to obtain navigation assistance, concierge services, healthadvice, or the like. In some cases, a customer service representative atthe private response center may speak with the client and recognize thatthe client has an emergency, and may connect the client with the properauthorities such as a “9-1-1” public safety answering point or anequivalent.

In other cases, the client may be disoriented, unable to speak, orotherwise unable to communicate the nature of his or her call. Insituations like this, there is a need for the private response center tohave other ways of gaining information about the client and his or hercondition, so that appropriate action can be taken.

In some scenarios, certain clients may require other kinds of assistancewith errands, personal business, and the like. There is a need for amechanism for facilitating such assistance.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect, a method of operating a call center includesmaintaining in electronic storage personal profiles of a number ofclients of a service provided by the call center. At least one of thepersonal profiles includes identification of one or more entitiesauthorized by the respective client to act on behalf of the respectiveclient. The method further includes receiving from an inquiring partyvia an electronic network an inquiry whether a particular one of the oneor more entities is authorized by a particular one of the number ofclients to perform a proposed action on behalf of the particular client,and automatically sending an electronic message to the inquiring partyindicating whether or not the particular entity is in fact authorized bythe particular client to perform the proposed action. In someembodiments, the method further includes associating a trust level withthe particular entity, and providing an indication of the trust level inthe electronic message to the inquiring party. The trust level mayindicate one or more specific actions the particular entity isauthorized to perform on behalf of the client. Trust level mayexplicitly or implicitly indicate one or more actions the particularentity is not authorized to perform on behalf of the client. The trustlevel may indicate that the particular entity is authorized to perform amedical errand on behalf of the client.

According to another aspect, a method of operating a call centerincludes maintaining in electronic storage personal profiles of a numberof clients of a service provided by the call center. At least some ofthe personal profiles include identification of one or more entities ina respective trusted network designated by the respective client. Themethod further includes searching the personal profiles, and based onthe results of the search, identifying at least one of the entities asmore trusted than another one of the entities. In some embodiments, themethod further includes receiving an inquiry via an electronic networkfrom an inquiring party whether a particular entity in the trustednetwork of a particular client is authorized by the particular client toperform a proposed action on behalf of the particular client, andautomatically sending an electronic message to the inquiring partyindicating whether or not the particular entity is in fact authorized bythe particular client to perform the proposed action. In someembodiments, whether one of the entities is more trusted than another isevaluated at least in part based on the number of trusted networks therespective entities appear in. In some embodiments, whether one of theentities is more trusted than another is evaluated at least in partbased on the number of otherwise-unrelated trusted networks therespective entities appear in. In some embodiments, whether one of theentities is more trusted than another is evaluated at least in partbased on the aggregate level of trust assigned by the clients to therespective entities. In some embodiments, the method further includesprioritizing electronic communications to trusted network members basedat least in part on the relative trustedness of the network members. Insome embodiments, the method further includes collecting votes on anissue from entities in a particular client's trusted network, andweighting the votes based on the trustedness of each of the votingentities.

According to another aspect, a computer system comprises a processor,memory, and an interface to an electronic communication network. Thememory holds instructions that when executed by the processor cause thecomputer system to maintain in electronic storage records of trustednetworks of a number of persons. Each trusted network record identifiesone or more entities authorized by the respective person to act onbehalf of the respective person. The instructions further cause thecomputer system to receive from an inquiring party via an electronicnetwork an inquiry whether a particular one of the one or more entitiesis in fact trusted by a particular one of the number of persons, andautomatically send an electronic message to the inquiring partyindicating whether or not the particular entity is in fact trusted bythe particular person to perform a proposed action on behalf of theperson. In some embodiments, the instructions, when executed by theprocessor, further cause the computer system to include in theelectronic message an indication of the level of trust associated withthe particular entity. In some embodiments, the instructions, whenexecuted by the processor, further cause the computer system to includein the electronic message an indication of one or more specific actionsthat the particular entity is trusted to perform on behalf of theperson. In some embodiments, the instructions, when executed by theprocessor, further cause the computer system to include in theelectronic message an explicit or implicit indication of one or morespecific actions that the particular entity is not trusted to perform onbehalf of the person.

According to another aspect, a computer system comprises a processor,memory, and an interface to an electronic communication network. Thememory holds instructions that when executed by the processor cause thecomputer system to maintain in electronic storage records of trustednetworks of a number of persons. Each trusted network record identifiesone or more entities authorized by the respective person to act onbehalf of the respective person. The instructions further cause thecomputer system to search the records of trusted networks, and based onthe results of the search, identify at least one of the entities as moretrusted than another one of the entities. In some embodiments, whetherone of the entities is more trusted than another is evaluated at leastin part based on the number of trusted networks the respective entitiesappear in. In some embodiments, whether one of the entities is moretrusted than another is evaluated at least in part based on the numberof otherwise-unrelated trusted networks the respective entities appearin. In some embodiments, whether one of the entities is more trustedthan another is evaluated at least in part based on the aggregate levelof trust assigned by the clients to the respective entities. In someembodiments, the instructions, when executed by the processor, furthercause the computer system to prioritize electronic communications totrusted network members based at least in part on the relativetrustedness of the network members. In some embodiments, theinstructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the computersystem to collect votes on an issue from entities in a particularclient's trusted network, and weight the votes based on the trustednessof each of the voting entities.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a system in which the invention may be embodied.

FIG. 2 illustrates a simplified communications device, in accordancewith embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example personal profile.

FIG. 4 illustrates a scenario in accordance with embodiments of theinvention.

FIG. 5 illustrates another scenario in accordance with embodiments ofthe invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates another scenario in accordance with embodiments ofthe invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates another scenario in accordance with embodiments ofthe invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates that a response center may have multiple clients,each of which may have trusted networks, in accordance with embodimentsof the invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates a multi-level network, in accordance with embodimentsof the invention.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example scenario in accordance with embodimentsof the invention.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example user interface screen in accordance withembodiments of the invention.

FIG. 12 illustrates another example user interface screen in accordancewith embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 13 illustrates a simplified block diagram of an exemplaryembodiment of the internal structure of computer system.

FIG. 14 is an example personal profile in which each of the members of aclient's trusted network is assigned a trust level indicator.

FIG. 15 illustrates a flowchart of a sequence of steps according to anembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The ensuing description provides preferred example embodiment(s) only,and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configurationof the disclosure. Rather, the ensuing description of the preferredexample embodiment(s) will provide those skilled in the art with anenabling description for implementing a preferred example embodiment. Itis understood that various changes may be made in the function andarrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope asset forth in the appended claims.

Specific details are given in the following description to provide athorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will beunderstood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments maybe practiced without these specific details. For example, systems,structures, and other components may be shown as components in blockdiagram form in order not to obscure the embodiments in unnecessarydetail. In other instances, well-known processes, procedures andtechniques may be shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoidobscuring the embodiments. Furthermore, embodiments may be implementedby manual techniques, automatic techniques, or any combination thereof.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system in which the invention may be embodied. Cell101 is one cell of a cellular telephone network. Cellular networks arean especially efficient way to provide mobile telephone service. Eachcell 101 is served by a respective base station 102, which may includean antenna mounted on a tower 103 or other structure. Each cellulartelephone active in a particular cell can bi-directionally interact withthe base station of the cell, enabling full duplex communication of dataand/or voice. Each cell 101 is capable of communicating with mobiletelephones within the respective cell according to a physical interfacescheme (e.g., CDMA, LTE, GSM, GPRS, WiMax, etc.). Each base station 102typically is capable of communicating simultaneously with several dozenor more different mobile telephones such as mobile telephone 105 orsimplified communicator 106, which is described in more detail below.

Adjacent cells use different frequencies or coding to avoidinterference. In this way, many mobile telephones can be supported usinga limited spectra. The size and density of the cells 101 may bedetermined in part by the demand for service. While only one cell 101 isshown in FIG. 1, many other cells may be present, such that the cellscollectively cover large contiguous areas. Special hand-off protocolsmay be used for maintaining communication with a particular telephonethat moves from one cell to another during a call.

As shown in FIG. 1, each base station 102 communicates with a networkcontroller 104. It will be understood that FIG. 1 is highly simplified,and network controller 104 represents a wide array of hardware,software, and other components performing a wide variety of functions.For example, network controller 104 may route calls between cells 101and outside telephone providers, monitor telephone usage, maintainbilling records for individual telephone accounts, perform diagnostictests, and perform many other functions.

Network controller 104 may also include interfaces between the cellularnetwork and other networks, organizations, or services.

Each active mobile telephone, such as mobile telephone 105, “registers”with a nearby base station, and network controller 104 keeps a database107 listing which of the active mobile telephones is registered withwhich of the base stations. Network controller 104 uses database 107 toroute incoming calls. For example, when a call is received at networkcontroller 104 and intended to be routed to mobile telephone 105,network controller 104 consults database 107 to determine that mobiletelephone 105 is registered with base station 102, and routes theincoming call accordingly.

The geographical locations of base stations 102 are fixed, and known tothe operator of network controller 104. Thus, by virtue of database 107,network controller 104 “knows” at nearly all times the location of everyactive mobile telephone subscribed with the operator of networkcontroller 104, at least to the accuracy of the size of cells 101. Thesize of each cell depends on the expected density of mobile telephonesin a given area, on the topology of the surrounding landscape, and otherfactors, but typically cells range from a few hundred yards to severalmiles across. A particular geographical area may be served by more thanone telephone service provider. Different telephone service providersmay share network infrastructure, or may maintain separate controllers,base stations, towers, and other hardware. Each telephone serviceprovider similarly “knows” the locations of all of its active subscribedmobile telephones.

While embodiments of the invention are described mainly in the contextof cellular mobile communication, it will be recognized that theinvention is not so limited, and embodiments may use fixed “landline”telephones, satellite telephones, voice-over-internet-protocol (VOIP)communications, or other kinds of communications devices.

A private response center (PRC) 108, is reachable via network controller104, for example by dialing a particular telephone number. Privateresponse center 108 may be operated, for example, by a response serviceprovider who offers personalized assistance to clients who subscribe tothe service. In some embodiments, the response service provider mayoffer personal health management advice, concierge services,navigational assistance, technical support for telephones used inconjunction with the service, or other kinds of personalized servicesdeliverable by telephone. Private response center 108 may be staffed bycustomer service representatives 109 who answer inquiries from clientsof the service. Such a service may especially appeal to clients withhealth or other impairments. For example, the service could includeweekly or daily calls to the client for verification that the client isdoing well, and if not, the customer service representative may offer tocontact a family member, health care provider, or other resource thatmay be helpful to the client. The service could include these and otherservices sold as a package. Alternatively, PRC 108 may be a fullyautomated service designed to operate without human intervention.

Private response center 108 is not intended to be a substitute for apublic safety answering point (PSAP) 110. A client of the serviceoffered by private response center 108 would still be expected to dial9-1-1 to reach PSAP 110 in the event of an emergency. However, whileembodiments of the invention are described primarily in the context of aprivate response center, the invention is not so limited and may beembodied in a public facility such as PSAP 110. For example, as part ofthe Next Generation 9-1-1 initiative underway in the United States andCanada, it is expected that the capabilities and responsibilities ofpublic safety answering points such as PSAP 110 will expand to includecapabilities and components similar to those described herein for PRC108. It is intended that the appended claims encompass both public andprivate facilities.

In one example scenario, the service provider that operates privateresponse center 108 may also be a cellular telephone service provider,and may offer a private assistance service as an adjunct to cellulartelephone service. The private response center 108 can be contacted fornon-emergency service through a phone number, speed dial or othershortcut, for example by activating a 5 and * key combination on atelephone. The connection 111 between network controller 104 and privateresponse center 108 is schematic. The actual connection could be by wayof the Internet, a wireless connection, a voice-over-Internet-protocol(VOIP) connection, or a cellular telephone connection, or privateresponse center 201 could be reached through a conventional wirelinetelephone system, or any other suitable connection method that enables atelephone user to reach private response center 108. Private responsecenter 108 may be reachable via multiple methods.

PRC 108 includes a computer system 112 that may be used for variousfunctions. For example, information about calls from clients may bedisplayed to customer service representative 109. Computer system 112may store personal information gathered from clients that may be helpfulin rendering assistance to the clients. Computer system 112 may assistcustomer service representative 109 in the performance of his or herjob, for example automating telephone dialing and the like. Whilecomputer system 112 is illustrated as a single computer, it will berecognized that the term “computer system” encompasses many differentkind of installations, including systems of multiple computers linkedtogether. The multiple computers may be co-located or widely dispersed.

An emergency alert gateway 113 may enable law enforcement or otherauthorities to issue alerts to be broadcast via the cellular telephonesystem, for example to warn cellular telephone users of impending stormsor other events that affect public safety. Such alerts may be issued viathe Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) currently being deployed inthe United States, or via other systems. The CMAS system enablesauthorities to send text messages to active cellular devices in targetedgeographic areas. These text messages may reach people that wouldotherwise not be notified by other means.

FIG. 1 also illustrates a client 114 of PRC 108, currently positioned incell 101. Client 114 uses a simplified communications device 106,described in more detail below. Another cellular telephone user 115 usesfully-featured mobile telephone 105. User 115 may or may not be a clientof PRC 108.

FIG. 2 illustrates simplified communications device 106 in more detail,in accordance with embodiments. Example communications device 106 mayinternally be a fully-featured cellular telephone, but has a simplifiedinput interface comprising only one button 201. Communications device106 may also be referred to as a “personal security device” or an“emergency communicator.” A client of private response center 108 maywear communications device 106 on his or her person, and can use it tocontact private response center 108 whenever assistance is needed. Forexample, communications device 106 may be configured to dial privateresponse center 108 when button 201 is pressed. This greatly simplifiedinput interface may be especially helpful to clients with impairmentssuch as poor vision or coordination that make it difficult to operate aconventional cellular telephone that has many small keys. Thesingle-button interface assures that private response center 108 will becalled without the client having to press a sequence of keys. In theevent of an emergency, private response center 108 may route the call tothe proper authorities, if necessary. Communications device 106 furtherincludes a microphone 202 and a speaker 203, enabling telephone ortelephone-like communication.

In some embodiments, communications device 106 periodically reports itsgeographical location to PRC 108. Communications device 106 maydetermine its location using an internal global positioning system (GPS)receiver, by requesting that the cellular network estimate the locationof communications device 106, or by any other suitable method orcombination of methods. Systems and methods of monitoring the locationof a communications device are described in more detail in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/026,158 filed Feb. 11, 2011 and titled “Systemsand Methods for Determining Caller Locations”, the entire disclosure ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.

Referring again to FIG. 1, user 115 may also be a client of PRC 108, butrather than using a special-purpose communicator such as communicationsdevice 106, user (and client) 115 uses fully-featured cellular telephone105, which may be a so-called “smart phone”. A smart phone includes aprocessor and operating system such that it can be customized byinstalling application software selected by the user. In the example ofFIG. 1, user 115 may have installed a special application that providesquick access to PRC 108, performs periodic location determinations andreports them to PRC 108, and the like. The application may also enablePRC 108 to contact user 115 in a secure manner, as is described in moredetail below.

In embodiments where a device such as communications device 106 orcellular telephone 105 periodically determines and reports its location,the location determinations may be performed as accurately as possible,while minimizing network data traffic associated with some locationdetermining methods. However, the location determinations may notprovide information as detailed as might be desired. For example,communications device 106 or cellular telephone 105 may be indoors, andnot able to obtain a position fix using a GPS receiver. Locationdeterminations provided by the cellular telephone network may not be asprecise as may be desired to locate a user of the device.

Preferably, PRC 108 collects profile information about each of itsclients and stores the profile information, for example at computersystem 112. When a client contacts PRC 108 for assistance, that client'sprofile may be retrieved and presented to the answering customer servicerepresentative 109, so that the customer service representative canbetter provide assistance. FIG. 3 illustrates an example personalprofile 300, for example of client 114 of PRC 108.

Example personal profile 300 includes such information as the client'sname and address, medical conditions, current medications, and otherinformation. Also included is a listing of contact information for otherentities in a trusted network designated by the client, for example uponenrollment of the client in the service provided by PRC 108. In thisexample, the entities in the trusted network are people, for examplerelatives, neighbors, or friends of the client. The trusted networkcould also include other kinds of entities, for example a nursing homeor assisted living facility where the client resides, a school theclient attends, a church office, or another kind of entity. Preferably,many clients of PRC 108 have identified trusted networks and haveprovided contact information for entities in their respective trustednetworks.

Some or all of the entities in the trusted network may be automaticallynotified whenever the client contacts PRC 108 for assistance.Alternatively, a customer service representative may initiate a contactwith one or more members of the trusted network when needed. Thecustomer service representative may select which of the trusted networkmembers to contact based on the nature of the reason for the client'scall to PRC 108. For example, if the client calls with a medical issue,the customer service representative may notify the client's family (inaddition to contacting official emergency services personnel, ifappropriate). If the client calls to report that he or she has fallen,the customer service representative may also notify a trusted neighborof the client, who may be nearby and able to render immediateassistance.

It will be recognized that in this disclosure, reference to contacting aparticular person such as a member of a client's trusted networkencompasses sending a message or other signals to a device registered tothat person, for example that person's cellular telephone, personaldigital assistant, tablet computer, or the like. Because many of theexample devices discussed are mobile and typically carried by theirusers, it is convenient to think of sending a message to a person'sdevice as contacting that person.

In a simple scenario illustrated in FIG. 4, client 114 has identifiedcontact information for three trusted network members 401-403. Client114 has contacted PRC 108, for example using communications device 106.PRC 108 notifies trusted network members 401-403 of the call from client114. (Or more precisely, PRC 108 sends messages to the contact addressesof trusted network members 401-403, indicating that client 114 hascontacted PRC 108.)

In some embodiments, members of the trusted network can contact PRC 108on behalf of the client. For example, a neighbor or family member whohas not been able to reach the client may request that PRC 108 try tocontact the client via communications device 106. (While communicationsdevice 106 includes telephone capability, its telephone number may notbe known to any entity other than PRC 108.) The trusted network membermay simply call PRC 108 by dialing the telephone number of PRC 108, ormay reach PRC 108 in other ways. For example, the trusted network membermay use a smartphone with application software that can be used to callPRC 108, without the user needing to dial or even know the telephonenumber of PRC 108. In that scenario, the telephone number may be codedinto the application software, and not visible to the user. PRC 108 maymaintain a cross reference of entities in clients' trusted networks, sothat when a call is received from a trusted network member who is not aclient of PRC 108, the personal profile of the client whose trustednetwork the caller is in can be retrieved. This embodiment may beillustrated as in FIG. 5. One of the trusted network members 403 hasinitiated a call to PRC 108, which in turn has contacted client 114 (viacommunications device 106).

In other embodiments, PRC 108 may enlist the help of members of thetrusted network in various interactive ways. One example is shown inFIG. 6. In this scenario, PRC 108 has been contacted regarding client114. The original contact may have been initiated by client 114 or by amember of the client's trusted network, for example trusted networkmember 401. In handling the call, it may become apparent that anothermember of the trusted network, for example trusted network member 402may be helpful. PRC 108 may arrange for trusted network members 401 and402 to communicate directly with each other, for example via aconference call between PRC 108 and devices used by trusted networkmembers 401 and 402, via a chat session conducted over the Internet, orby some other communication method.

In other embodiments, for example as illustrated in FIG. 7, PRC 108 maymaintain a database 701 of records of interactions between PRC 108 andclient 114 and members of the clients trusted network. This informationmay be used in various ways. For example, as is shown in FIG. 3, oneitem of information that may be collected is a count of the number oftimes each trusted network member has been in contact with PRC 108regarding client 114. This information may be presented in the client'spersonal profile shown to customer service representative 109 whenclient 114 calls PRC 108. Customer service representative 109 may use itto choose which trusted network member to contact first if it becomesapparent that a friend or family member may have information helpful inrelation to the client's call. For example, customer servicerepresentative 109 may first try to contact the trusted network memberhaving the most frequent interaction with PRC 108. Alternatively,computer system 112 may include algorithms that automatically selectwhich trusted network member to contact based on pre-determined ordynamic criteria such as proximity, frequency of interaction,relationship, schedule availability, social network status, etc. In someembodiments, client 114 or trusted network members 401-403 may also haveaccess to database 701, for example through a web page served over theInternet by computer system 112. In this way, trusted network membersmay be informed of real time interactions between PRC 108 and theclient. In addition, trusted network members can also provideinformation to PRC 108 that is visible by all trusted network members.These kinds of interactions are described in more detail below.

Client 114 may be only one of many clients of PRC 108. FIG. 8illustrates that PRC may have multiple clients, at least some of whichmay have trusted networks. In the example of FIG. 8, client 114 hasidentified contact information for three trusted network members 401-403as previously described. In this example, user 115 is also a client ofPRC 108, and has identified contact information for three trustednetwork members 801-803. In some embodiments, an entity may be includedin the trusted networks of multiple clients.

In some embodiments, at least some members of clients' trusted networksmay themselves be clients of PRC 108, and have identified contactinformation for entities in trusted networks of their own. Thissituation is illustrated in FIG. 9. In this example, trusted networkmember 401 (in the network of client 114) is also a client of PRC 108,and has identified contact information for trusted network members901-903. Network members 901-903 may be referred to as second-levelcontacts in relation to client 114. Similarly PRC clients 801 and 803(in the network of client 115) have identified contact information fornetwork members 904-905 and 906-908 respectively. Although the networkof trusted networks shown in FIG. 9 is shown as a simple hierarchy, manyvariations are possible. For example, clients may appear in each other'strusted networks. A single entity may be in the trusted networks ofmultiple clients, at the same or different levels. Many differentinterrelationships and interconnections are possible.

In addition, those entities in the extended network who are clients ofPRC 108 may choose to make certain data and other information visible toPRC 108. For example, a client may make his or her electronic calendarvisible to customer service representatives 109 at PRC 108. Clientscould also provide access to their social networking sites, such asFacebook pages and the like. Other kinds of information to which aclient could grant PRC 108 access include electronic calendarsmaintained by a spouse of the client or at the workplace of the client.Additionally, for at least some clients and trusted network entities,information may be publicly available about the clients or other relatedentities. For example, a friend or relative of a client may “tag” adigital photograph including the client and posted on the World Wide Webwith the client's name.

This network of connections among clients and their trusted networkentities, and the availability of information from other sources providenew opportunities for benefitting clients of PRC 108 and others.

In one example scenario, client 114 may call PRC 108 in need ofassistance, but may not be able to supply his or her location. Thissituation could occur, for example, if client 114 becomes incapacitatedafter dialing PRC 108 or pressing button 201 on communications device106, and if the most recent location information provided bycommunications device 106 to PRC 108 is untrustworthy for some reason,for example because the information is not recent. In this situation,PRC 108 may immediately try to contact the entities 401-403 identifiedby client 114 as being in his or her trusted network, using the contactinformation provided by client 114 upon enrollment or later. Entities401-403 may be considered the most likely to know the location of client114, so that help can be dispatched to the correct location.

Should PRC be unsuccessful in reaching any of entities 401-403 in atimely manner, PRC 108 may explore other information sources. Forexample, PRC 108 may attempt to contact second-level entities 901-903,in the trusted network of entity 401, on the assumption that these arethe next most likely people or other entities to have informationrelating to client 114, or at least to trusted network member 401.

In addition or alternatively, PRC 108 may search secondary informationsources. For the purposes of this disclosure, a secondary source is asource of information other than a direct contact with the client, amember of the client's trusted network, or a second- or higher-levelcontact in the client's extended network. For example, if client 114 hasgranted PRC 108 access to his or her electronic calendar or socialnetworking pages, PRC 108 may search those sources for any indication ofwhere client may be. For example, client 114 may have listed anappointment on his or her calendar corresponding to the time of the callreceived form client 114, or may have recently posted on a socialnetworking page about an upcoming excursion that would encompass thetime of the call. This posting may assist PRC 108 in locating client114. In another example, public information sources may be searched. Forexample, a photo of client 114 may have been “tagged” recently on asocial networking site with the name of client 114 and information aboutwhen and where the photo was taken. If the photo is recent enough, itmay be suggestive that client 114 is still at or near the photolocation.

This kind search may also be extended to trusted network entities andsecond-level network entities. For example, if a member of the client'strusted network has granted PRC 108 access to his or her electroniccalendar, PRC 108 may search that entity's calendar for information thatcould relate to the client, for example a lunch appointment with client114 encompassing the time of the call received by PRC 108 from client114.

In another example, if an approximate location of client 114 can bedetermined, such as from a location determination received from thecellular telephone network, PRC 108 may search its records for otherclients that are in the approximate vicinity, so that they might be ableto provide information. The search may be prioritized by searching formembers of the immediate trusted network of client 114, and thensecond-level connections (trusted network members identified by membersof the client's trusted network).

Because clients may contact PRC 108 in the event of an emergency orother widespread event, PRC 108 may accumulate comprehensive andvaluable information about the event. For example, several clients inthe vicinity of a wildfire may call with questions about evacuationroutes, fire suppression tips, and the like. In another example, clientsaffected by a power outage may call with questions about the effect ofloss of refrigeration on medications.

In some embodiments, PRC 108 may act on this accumulated information forthe benefit of its clients and others, preferably in ways thatsupplement but do not interfere with the efforts of official emergencyresponse agencies. For example, by mapping the locations of callers, PRC108 may be able to estimate the boundaries or direction of travel of awildfire, and may provide that information to the official public safetyor emergency management authorities. Examples of public safety andemergency management authorities include without limitation PSAP 110,local, state, or federal law enforcement agencies, fire departments,disease tracking and control agencies, weather monitoring agencies, ahomeland security agency, civil defense services, and others. Callersmay provide other information as well, for example which evacuationroutes are congested and which are relatively free of traffic.

In some embodiments, PRC 108 may utilize its extended network of clientsand designated contacts to proactively gather information. For example,in the wildfire scenario discussed above, PRC 108 could proactivelycontact clients or members of clients' networks seeking “on the ground”information about the extent and travel of the fire. If the mapgenerated by PRC 108 includes gaps, contacts may be chosen to try tofill in those gaps. In some embodiments, PRC 108 may take responsesreceived from members of clients' networks to update recommendations toclients in real time. For example, if PRC 108 discovers from clients ormembers of clients' networks that a particular evacuation route isavailable and uncongested, PRC 108 could then use that information toadvise clients about the evacuation route.

In another scenario, a client may call PRC 108 (likely in addition tocalling the authorities) for guidance about how to locate a missingchild. Given the last known location of the child, PRC 108 could notifyclients in the area, in the hope that one of them may see and report thechild. This kind of notification could also be extended to clients'networks as well. In some embodiments, responses may be automated. Forexample, computer system 112 may actively search social media or photosharing sites of clients or clients' networks to find recent picturesthat have been tagged with the missing child's information, which couldthen be displayed for a client. In another example, a facial recognitionsearch may be performed over social media sites or over real time datacaptured by security cameras that may be active in the vicinity of thechild's last known location, enabling real time photo tagging of themissing child.

In some embodiments, the information gathered by the system can be usedto predict how information, diseases or other person-to-persontransferred entities spread. For example the Centers for Disease Control(CDC) may be trying to contain the spread of virulent disease and knowthat a client of PRC 108 has been infected. By looking at the trustednetwork of that client, and further to second level trusted networks, alikely path of infection may be found and used to determine who tocontact that may likely have contracted the disease and who toproactively warn to take precautions against getting infected. Anotherexample may be in the military defense field. For example, a client ofthe PRC 108 may have access to highly classified information and theDefense Department may wish to determine the risk if this informationgot out by analyzing the likely spread and reach of the client's trustednetwork as well as their second- and higher-level networks. Yet anotherexample is in the advertising industry. Understanding the trust levelinherent in the relationships between a client and his or her trustednetwork, the advertiser can choose to target a PRC client by advertisingto their trusted networks. If a web marketing firm wants to determine ifa person could be a “super influencer” and a good candidate to target ina campaign for a new medical product they can look at how many differenttrusted network members one person is in, and the reach of their 2ndlevel trusted networks and determine the maximum word-of-mouth spreadpotential and geo-location of an advertising message if the campaign wasdelivered to a particular trusted network member.

In some embodiments, PRC 108 may evaluate the severity, urgency, orextent of an event. For example, PRC 108 may consider the number ofcalls from clients relating to an event with the population density ofareas from which the calls originated. An event such as an earthquakemay affect a wide area, and may result in many calls, while a morelocalized event such as street flooding due to a water main break mayresult in fewer calls. PRC 108 may use its estimate of the severity,urgency, or extent of an event to determine whether proactive use of itsnetwork is justified, and to what extent.

In some embodiments, PRC 108 may use its extended network to distributeinformation for the benefit of its clients and others. For example, PRC108 may learn of an approaching severe storm, and may wish to notify anyclients residing in the expected path of the storm to take shelter.Preferably, any notifications are done in a manner that supplements anddoes not conflict with the efforts of government emergency managementauthorities. Clients may be notified by telephone call, electronic mail,text message, or other means. PRC 108 may choose the order of clientnotification so as to maximize the speed of information transfer. Forexample, clients who have large trusted networks may be notified first,if prioritization is necessary, on the assumption that they may pass theword to friends and loved ones. In another scenario, PRC 108 may choosethe order of notification based on the size of clients' extendednetworks, that is, the number of second- or higher-level networkentities in a client's network. In some embodiments, PRC 108 may provideinformation to official government authorities such as CMAS, theIntegrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), or other systems.

In some embodiments, certain clients of PRC 108 may have skills ortraining particularly pertinent to emergency management. For example,clients of PRC 108 may include active or retired medical personnel,retired firefighters or law enforcement officers, and the like. Suchclients may be flagged as having special skills, and informationreceived from them may be considered especially reliable. In someembodiments, such clients may volunteer to be contacted proactively byPRC 108 in situations where their skills may be useful.

In some embodiments, PRC 108 may offer premium services to certaincustomers, who may or may not be clients of the other services offeredby PRC 108. For example, businesses may have an interest in learningabout events as they occur, and may subscribe to a notification serviceprovided by PRC 108. PRC 108 would then compile reports and updatesabout events derived from the extended network of clients and clientnetworks, and provide the reports and updates to subscribers. Forexample, PRC 108 may identify the extent of a power outage from callsreceived from clients, and may provide this information to a businesscustomer such as an internet service provider or hospital who wishes tomonitor the state of the power system.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example scenario, in accordance with embodimentsof the invention. In FIG. 10, PRC 108 has been contacted regardingclient 114. In this example, client 114 has called to report a seriousfall, but is disoriented and cannot provide some needed information. Acustomer service representative 109 at PRC 108 may determine that thisconstitutes a medical emergency, and notifies PSAP 110 so that anambulance can be dispatched. In addition, PRC 108 notifies trustednetwork entities 401-403. For example, one member of the client'strusted network could be a neighbor who may be able to lend comfortuntil the emergency services personnel arrive, and another member of thetrusted network may be a relative who knows the client's medicalhistory, how to enter the client's home, and other detailed information.PRC 108 may filter information shared with client 114 or trusted networkentities 401-403. This filtering can be performed either throughtraining of customer service representatives, or through automatedmethods, using logic and algorithms to identify use of certain words incertain contexts. For example, sensitive information, such as news ofthe death of a relative may be withheld from broadcast, and replacedwith no notification, or a generic statement such as “Grandma waschecked into St. John's Hospital. Call hospital for more information.888-555-1111.”

The notification of trusted network entities 401-403 may be by anysuitable means, preferably as specified in the client's personalprofile. For example, trusted network entities may be contacted by phonecall, text message, electronic mail, or other methods. Some or all oftrusted network entities 401-403 may carry smart phones or othercommunication devices capable of running application software, and mayhave installed a specialized application associated with PRC 108 as partof their service as members of the clients trusted network. In thesecases, PRC 108 may send an electronic message to the smart phone toactivate the application, which may then facilitate communication aboutthe incident.

For example, a user interface such as user interface 1101 shown in FIG.11 may be displayed on smartphones carried by each of trusted networkentities 401-403. Preferably, only PRC 108 can activate the applicationto present user interface 1101, and thus a person seeing user interface1101 can be assured that it describes an actual incident, and is not aploy to gather information illicitly. Once one or more of trustednetwork entities 401-403 have indicated availability to help, they maybe joined in a conference call, text-based chat, or a combination ofmedia, so that they can collectively work to assist client 114. Theparties can feel secure in sharing information as needed, because eachis contacted and joined by PRC 108—a known and secure entity—and all ofthem have been designated by the client to participate in events likethis example.

FIG. 12 shows a second user interface screen 1201 that illustrates anexample chat-type session conducted over the Internet in which PRC 108and members of the trusted network arrange access for the approachingEMS personnel. In other embodiments a similar interaction may take placeby conference call, or by a combination of methods. Other parties may bejoined as well, for example emergency services personnel such as thedispatcher at PSAP 110. The system may automatically assign relationshiptags to people in a trusted network, such as “Daughter” or “Neighbor”,so that such people can be easily identified by other people in thechat-type session. This feature may be especially useful since people inthe trusted network, even though may know that each person participatingin the chat is trusted, may benefit from knowing the relationship of thetrusted person to the client.

Preferably, a record of the communications among PRC 108, client 114,and trusted network members 401-403 is added to database 701, andbecomes part of the account history of client 114. If the initialattempt to contact trusted network entities 401-403 is unsuccessful, PRC108 may extend its search to second-level entities in relation to client114, and attempt to contact network members such as members 901-908 ifappropriate.

FIG. 13 illustrates a simplified block diagram of an exemplaryembodiment of the internal structure of computer system 112. Thecomputer system 112 is shown comprising hardware elements that may beelectrically coupled via a bus 1390. The hardware elements may includeone or more central processing units 1310, one or more input devices1320, and one or more output devices 1340. The computer system 112 mayalso include one or more storage device(s) 1340. By way of example,storage device(s) 1340 may be disk drives, optical storage devices,solid-state storage device such as a random access memory (“RAM”) and/ora read-only memory (“ROM”), which can be programmable, flash-updateableand/or the like.

The computer system 112 may additionally include a computer-readablestorage media reader 1350, a communications system 1360 (e.g., a modem,a network card (wireless or wired), an infra-red communication device,Bluetooth™ device, cellular communication device, etc.), and workingmemory 1380, which may include RAM and ROM devices as described above.In some embodiments, the computer system 112 may also include aprocessing acceleration unit 1370, which can include a digital signalprocessor, a special-purpose processor and/or the like.

The computer-readable storage media reader 1350 can further be connectedto a computer-readable storage medium, together (and, optionally, incombination with storage device(s) 1340) comprehensively representingremote, local, fixed, and/or removable storage devices plus storagemedia for temporarily and/or more permanently containingcomputer-readable information. The communications system 1360 may permitdata to be exchanged with a network, system, computer and/or othercomponent described above.

The computer system 112 may also comprise software elements, shown asbeing currently located within a working memory 1380, including anoperating system 1384 and/or other code 1388. It should be appreciatedthat alternate embodiments of a computer system 112 may have numerousvariations from that described above. For example, customized hardwaremight also be used and/or particular elements might be implemented inhardware, software (including portable software, such as applets), orboth. Furthermore, connection to other computing devices such as networkinput/output and data acquisition devices may also occur.

Software of computer system 112 may include code 1388 for implementingany or all of the function of the various elements of the architectureas described herein. For example, software, stored on and/or executed bya computer system such as system 112, can provide some of the functionsof private response center 108 such as those discussed above. Methodsimplementable by software on some of these components have beendiscussed above in more detail.

While embodiments have been described above in the context of a privateresponse center, it will be recognized that other embodiments may beimplemented in a public safety answering point or other official entity.

The existence of the trusted networks of clients of PRC 108, and themaintenance of records of the trusted networks by PRC 108 enablesadditional capabilities of PRC 108, in accordance with additionalembodiments. The repository of information held by PRC 108 may beconsidered a “trust store”, and may be exploited in various ways.

In the embodiments described below, members of a trusted network of aclient may be authorized by the client to take some action on behalf ofthe client. Such a relationship is more than a simple association, andmore than a simple indication that a network member may be notified whenthe client has requested assistance from PRC 108. Rather, thisrelationship empowers the network member (preferably upon properauthentication) to act for the client, at least to some extent.

In some embodiments, a trust level or level of “trustedness” of anetwork member may be indicated for the network member. For example,FIG. 14 is an example personal profile in which members of the client'strusted network are assigned trust level indicators 1401. The trustlevel indicator may be a number, character string, word, textualdescription, or another kind of indicator that specifies what kinds ofactions the network member can take on behalf of the client. In theexample of FIG. 14, each trust level indicator 1401 is a multi-digitnumber, in which each digit specifies a level of authority for thenetwork member in a particular category of action. Merely by way ofexample, the digits in the trust level indicators 1401 may be ascribedthe following meanings.

TABLE 1 Digit Category Example authorized acts at different levels 1Medical 0. Not authorized 1. Administrative assistance, e.g. pick upprescription from pharmacy, schedule appointments, etc. 2. Participatein routine heath care, e.g. make and attend doctor appointments, receiveinformation re diagnosis and treatment . . . 9. Make end of lifedecisions 2 Personal business 0. Not authorized 1. Receive informationonly 2. Authorize repairs and purchases up to $X 3. Spend fromdesignated account up to $Y monthly 4. Unrestricted spending fromdesignated account 5. Conduct business, e.g. pay bills, start and stoputility service, etc. 6. Make investment decisions 7. Buy and sell realproperty . . . 3 Security and 0. Not authorized Access 1. Access toclient's home 2. Access to client's computer 3. Access to client'selectronic mail accounts . . .

Any other suitable indication scheme may be used, having more or fewercategories, more or fewer levels of trustedness within a category,different methods of indicating the trust level, and other differences.However, using the example system in Table 1 above, the members of thetrusted network shown in FIG. 14 have varying levels of authority to acton behalf of the client, as indicated by their trust levels 1401. Insome embodiments, each trust level may be presumed to encompass all ofthe lower trust levels in a respective category. For example, a networkmember having a trust level of 5 in the personal business category wouldautomatically be authorized to act for the client in the activitiesencompassed by trust levels 1-4 as well. In other embodiments, specificactions may be authorized or prohibited.

Some of the trust levels in Table 1 may require legal documentation. Forexample, for a member of the client's trusted network to have access tothe client's medical records may require that the client execute anauthorization form required by a medical provider, or required under lawsuch as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)enacted in the United States. In another example, for a member ofclient's trusted network to be authorized to make investment decisionson behalf of the client may require that the client execute a power ofattorney. Copies of any such written authorizations may be forwarded toand kept by PRC 108 as backup documentation for the trust levelsmaintained for the client.

With the trust levels and any appropriate authorizations in place, PRC108 can act as a repository of authorization information for itsclients, and may provide automated verifications of authorizations tofacilitate assistance to the clients by members of the clients' trustednetworks. For example, a member of the trusted network of client 114(listed in FIG. 14) may offer to visit a local pharmacy and pick up aprescription medication for client 114, even though the network membermay not be a family member of client 114, and may not be known to thepharmacy. The pharmacy may contact PRC 108 to verify that the networkmember is authorized to pick up the prescription.

In another example, trust may be granted to specific second-levelentities such as entities 901-903 in trusted network 401-403. Someonewho is determined to be highly trusted in the trusted network, forexample, trusted entity 401, could use the trust store to pass alongsome measure of his or her trust between him or herself 401 and client114. Specifically, trusted network entity 401 may have been designatedby client 114 as having top-level medical trust privileges (end of life)for client 114, and has been requested to pick up client 114's medicineat the pharmacy. If for some reason trusted network entity 401 cannotpick up the medicine, he or she may pass client 114's lowest medicaltrust level designation to trusted network entity 401's top trustednetwork relation, 901 (i.e., his wife). In this way, second level entity901 can pick up client 114's medicines for trusted network entity 401.Many variations may be envisioned. For example, in some embodiments, thelevel of trust that can be passed along may be limited only to the levelpossessed by the entity passing the trust. In other embodiments,entities may not be able to pass along their full levels of authority,may be limited in which other network members can be the recipients oftrust, or may be subject to other limitations.

The steps performed by PRC 108 in embodiments of the invention may beperformed at least in part using computer system 112 or a similarcomputer system. In some embodiments, some of the method may beperformed with human assistance.

FIG. 15 illustrates a flowchart 1500 of a sequence of steps according toan embodiment. In step 1501, the trusted network member presentsidentification to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription from thepharmacy on behalf of the client. In step 1502, the pharmacy sends amessage to PRC 108, inquiring whether the network member is trusted bythe client for whom the prescription is written. In step 1503, PRC 108receives the inquiry from the pharmacy. In step 1504, PRC 108 sends anelectronic message to the pharmacy, indicating whether the networkmember is trusted by the client to pick up the prescription.

Preferably, the pharmacy authenticates the identity of the networkmember, for example by requiring a photo identification or other means,and contacts PRC electronically to ask if the network member isauthorized by the client. The pharmacy may also specify what kind ofaction the trusted network member is proposing to do on behalf of theclient, in this example pick up a prescription medication. Uponreceiving the request, PRC 108 can consult its database of profiles andverify that the network member does or does not have the authority topick up the prescription. Preferably, the exchange between the pharmacyand PRC 108 is done electronically, for example through a voice phonecall, an electronic mail exchange, an exchange of other kinds ofelectronic messages, or by other electronic methods. In someembodiments, the exchange may be automated, presuming proper programmingof systems at both the pharmacy and PRC 108, so that no involvement of acustomer service representative at PRC 108 is required.

In some embodiments, the return message from PRC 108 indicates onlywhether the trusted network member is or is not authorized to take theproposed action. That is, the message provides only a yes or no answerto the inquiry.

In other embodiments, the return message may include an indication ofthe trust level assigned to the particular network member by the client.The trust level may be understood to indicate one or more specificactions that the network member is authorized to take. For example, oneof the trusted network members listed in FIG. 14 has a trust level of731, indicating that this particular trusted network member isauthorized to conduct small transactions on behalf of the client,limited to a particular dollar amount and using funds from only aspecified account. This trust level may be taken to implicitly indicatethat the network member is not authorized to take other actionsrequiring a higher trust level as indicated in Table 1, for examplemaking investment decisions on behalf of the client. In someembodiments, PRC 108 may return only a trust level for the category ofaction the network member is taking on behalf of the client. In theexample above, in which a trusted network member of client 114 ispicking up a prescription medication, PRC 108 may return only the trustlevel for the network member in the “medical” category, so that thetrust level in the “personal business” category and any other categoriesis not unnecessarily revealed.

In other embodiments, a trust level may explicitly disallow a networkmember from taking certain actions on behalf of the client. For example,the trust level indicator could be a binary string, each bit of which isa “1” or a “0” corresponding to a particular kind of action. The valueof each bit (1 or 0) would indicate that the network member is or is notauthorized to take the corresponding action on behalf of the client.Many other formats are possible,

While the above example relates to a medical errand performed by atrusted network member on behalf of a client, other embodiments of theinvention may relate to many other kinds of tasks. For example, atrusted network member may take a client's car to a repair shop formaintenance, and the repair shop may wish to verify that the trustednetwork member has the authority to incur the expense of the maintenanceon behalf of the client. The repair shop contacts PRC 108 in a mannersimilar to that described in the pharmacy example above, and receives anindication of whether the network member is trusted to conduct personalbusiness of this kind on behalf of the client. As before, the repairshop may require proper authentication of the trusted network member.The indication of whether the network member is authorized to conductthis kind of business may be in the form of a yes/no answer, or mayinclude an indication of the level of trustedness of the network member.

According to another aspect, PRC 108 may search and analyze its store oftrusted network information to identify particular individuals or otherentities that are exceptionally well trusted. The degree of trust of aparticular individual may be evaluated using any number of factors orcombinations of factors.

For example, an individual who appears in the trusted network of morethan one client may be considered to be especially trusted. This may beespecially true of an individual appears in two or moreotherwise-unrelated trusted networks. For example, when multiple familymembers are clients of PRC 108, the family members may be expected toappear in each other's trusted networks. However, an individual thatappears in multiple trusted networks that do not share any other membersmay be considered to be especially trusted.

In another example, the trustedness of an individual or other entity maybe evaluated based at least in part on the aggregate trust levelassigned to that individual or other entity in the network or networksthe individual or other entity appears in. Thus, an individual who hasvery high trust level indications in multiple trusted networks may beconsidered especially trusted. It will be recognized that the variouspossible indicators of trustedness may be combined. For example, anindividual who has high trust level indications in multiple networksthat otherwise unrelated may be considered exceptionally trusted.

Once the especially-trusted individuals or entities are identified, PRC108 may use this information in a variety of ways. For example, atvarious times, PRC 108 may wish to send notifications to clients andmembers of clients' trusted networks. Situations in which suchnotifications may be used include broadcasting an alert about a missingchild, or warning clients about an impending storm, fire, or othernatural disaster. PRC 108 may choose to prioritize notifications so thatthe notifications are sent first to especially-trusted entities (whichmay include certain individuals), on the assumption that especiallytrusted entities will be more likely to disseminate the notificationinformation promptly.

In another example, especially trusted entities may be surveyed toprovide feedback or suggestions for better operation of PRC 108, on thetheory that such entities will have the most experience interacting withPRC 108, and would therefore be most likely to have useful suggestionsfor PRC 108. In another example, PRC 108 may wish to recruit volunteersfor a charitable project, and may approach identified especially trustedentities first. In another example, PRC 108 may recruit market researchparticipants based on their trustedness level with respect to aparticular discipline. Many other uses of the trustedness informationgleaned from the records of PRC 108 may be envisioned. Preferably, anycontacts with especially trusted entities are not intrusive and arerespectful of the privacy of all persons involved.

In another example, trustedness may be used as a weighted system forassigning a level of influence, for example in a voting system. Thehigher level an entity's trustedness, the more that entity's vote maycounts in a democratic system. For example, after a death in the familythe family members may make decisions about the disposition of thedeceased's personal property, and the weight of each family member'svote can be determined by their level of trustedness as previouslydesignated by the deceased.

In yet another example, the trusted network can act as a blindauthentication system, in which a person in a trusted network canprovide blind authentication of credentials about another member intheir trusted network. For example, in the case that a client forgetshis online banking password and his password recovery question answers,the bank can send some type of unique personal identifying informationon the client to the client's trusted network. Examples of identifyinginformation could include a photo taken from the client's phone orwebcam, what schools the client attended, or a past address where theclient lived. Members of the client's network can then verify theclient's identity without knowing what the verification will be usedfor. Once the client's ID has been verified via his network, the clientcan then reset his or her password.

In another example, trusted network can be used as a means oftransferring goods or money between two untrusted sources. Money orother goods can be transferred between overlapping trust networks bypassing along an element of trust without actually transferring thephysical goods, so that two untrusted sources can exchange goods, withthe actual goods only being exchanged between two trusted sources. Forexample client A may want to provide $1000 to person C, who is not inclient A's trusted network. Through the trust store, client A may give$1000 and an authentication phrase to a member of his trusted network.Client A can also separately give person C the same authenticationphrase. Trusted network entity B then can give the $1000 and theauthentication phrase to another party, person D, who is in both trustednetworks of person B and person C. When person C provides person D withthe authentication phrase person D gives the $1000 to person C.

According to another aspect, embodiments of the invention may beimplemented outside the context of a private response center such as PRC108. A trust store may be established by any entity, to provideindividuals and organizations a mechanism for designating others astrusted to act on their behalf. The trust store itself may be offered asa service, and may be implemented at least in part using aspecially-programmed computer system similar to computer system 112discussed above.

While the principles of the disclosure have been described above inconnection with specific apparatuses and methods, it is to be clearlyunderstood that this description is made only by way of example and notas limitation on the scope of the disclosure. In addition, it is to beunderstood that all workable combinations of the features and elementsdisclosed herein are also considered to be disclosed.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of operating a call center, the methodcomprising: maintaining in electronic storage personal profiles of anumber of clients of a service provided by the call center, wherein atleast one of the personal profiles includes identification of one ormore entities authorized by the respective client to act on behalf ofthe respective client; receiving from an inquiring party via anelectronic network an inquiry whether a particular one of the one ormore entities is authorized by a particular one of the number of clientsto perform a proposed action on behalf of the particular client; andautomatically sending an electronic message to the inquiring partyindicating whether or not the particular entity is in fact authorized bythe particular client to perform the proposed action.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: associating a trust level with theparticular entity; and providing an indication of the trust level in theelectronic message to the inquiring party.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein the trust level indicates one or more specific actions theparticular entity is authorized to perform on behalf of the client. 4.The method of claim 3, wherein the trust level explicitly or implicitlyindicates one or more actions the particular entity is not authorized toperform on behalf of the client.
 5. The method of claim 2, wherein thetrust level indicates that the particular entity is authorized toperform a medical errand on behalf of the client.
 6. A method ofoperating a call center, the method comprising: maintaining inelectronic storage personal profiles of a number of clients of a serviceprovided by the call center, wherein at least some of the personalprofiles include identification of one or more entities in a respectivetrusted network designated by the respective client, at least some ofthe entities being authorized to act on behalf of the respectiveclients; searching the personal profiles; analyzing the trustrelationships described in the information maintained in the electronicstorage; and based on the results of the search and analysis,identifying at least one of the entities as more trusted than anotherone of the entities.
 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:receiving an inquiry via an electronic network from an inquiring partywhether a particular entity in the trusted network of a particularclient is authorized by the particular client to perform a proposedaction on behalf of the particular client; and automatically sending anelectronic message to the inquiring party indicating whether or not theparticular entity is in fact authorized by the particular client toperform the proposed action.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein whetherone of the entities is more trusted than another is evaluated at leastin part based on the number of trusted networks the respective entitiesappear in.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein whether one of the entitiesis more trusted than another is evaluated at least in part based on thenumber of otherwise-unrelated trusted networks the respective entitiesappear in.
 10. The method of claim 6, wherein whether one of theentities is more trusted than another is evaluated at least in partbased on the aggregate level of trust assigned by the clients to therespective entities.
 11. The method of claim 6, further comprisingprioritizing electronic communications to trusted network members basedat least in part on the relative trustedness of the network members. 12.The method of claim 6, further comprising: collecting votes on an issuefrom entities in a particular client's trusted network; and weightingthe votes based on the trustedness of each of the voting entities.
 13. Acomputer system, comprising: a processor; memory; and an interface to anelectronic communication network; wherein the memory holds instructionsthat when executed by the processor cause the computer system to:maintain in electronic storage records of trusted networks of a numberof persons, wherein each trusted network record identifies one or moreentities authorized by the respective person to act on behalf of therespective person; receive from an inquiring party via an electronicnetwork an inquiry whether a particular one of the one or more entitiesis in fact trusted by a particular one of the number of persons; andautomatically send an electronic message to the inquiring partyindicating whether or not the particular entity is in fact trusted bythe particular person to perform a proposed action on behalf of theperson.
 14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the instructions,when executed by the processor, further cause the computer system toinclude in the electronic message an indication of the level of trustassociated with the particular entity.
 15. The computer system of claim13, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, furthercause the computer system to include in the electronic message anindication of one or more specific actions that the particular entity istrusted to perform on behalf of the person.
 16. The computer system ofclaim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor,further cause the computer system to include in the electronic messagean explicit or implicit indication of one or more specific actions thatthe particular entity is not trusted to perform on behalf of the person.17. A computer system, comprising: a processor; memory; and an interfaceto an electronic communication network; wherein the memory holdsinstructions that when executed by the processor cause the computersystem to: maintain in electronic storage records of trusted networks ofa number of persons, wherein each trusted network record identifies oneor more entities authorized by the respective person to act on behalf ofthe respective person, at least some of the entities being authorized toact on behalf of the respective clients; search the records of trustednetworks; analyze the trust relationships described in the informationmaintained in the electronic storage; and based on the results of thesearch and analysis, identify at least one of the entities as moretrusted than another one of the entities.
 18. The computer system ofclaim 17, wherein whether one of the entities is more trusted thananother is evaluated at least in part based on the number of trustednetworks the respective entities appear in.
 19. The computer system ofclaim 17, wherein whether one of the entities is more trusted thananother is evaluated at least in part based on the number ofotherwise-unrelated trusted networks the respective entities appear in.20. The computer system of claim 17, wherein whether one of the entitiesis more trusted than another is evaluated at least in part based on theaggregate level of trust assigned by the clients to the respectiveentities.
 21. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the instructions,when executed by the processor, further cause the computer system toprioritize electronic communications to trusted network members based atleast in part on the relative trustedness of the network members. 22.The computer system of claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executedby the processor, further cause the computer system to: collect votes onan issue from entities in a particular client's trusted network; andweight the votes based on the trustedness of each of the votingentities.